Road safety

It is our vision that every route and every mode should be available to everybody, free from the risk or fear of harm.

The collision and casualty picture for Devon presents a mixed message. Across all severities, collisions and casualties are down and the 10-year trend shows a strong and clear message of improvement for both.

The most serious collision and casualty numbers are, however, less encouraging. Although there was only a small change to the combined numbers for those killed and seriously injured in 2015 (compared with 2014), the 10-year trend is for increasing numbers of collisions and casualties. These increases are at a rate faster than elsewhere in the south west and contrast with overall reductions nationally.

Although the numbers of killed and seriously injured casualties per km travelled in the Devon is lower than both the south west and national rates, there is clearly much more to be done to reduce the incidence of severe collisions and casualties in our county.

The majority of those involved in collisions are local drivers – whether they are blameworthy or victim – and around 80% of collisions involved actions related to the driver or rider. Road traffic collisions are by their nature complex events – but our annual reports continue to indicate that changes in behaviour by those of us who live, work and travel in Devon can make a significant contribution to reducing the human and economic toll described in these pages.

The most common errors, lapses or violations that precede a collision are:

Whatever mode of travel we usually use, each of us can see an opportunity to improve our approach to such a brief and commonplace list. If we want to make that change then there is nothing to stop us – and we can start today.